Adalbert kreitmayr



No. 613,0. Patented Oct. 25, I898."

A. KREITMAYR.

ART OF PROTECTING OIL PAINTINGS.

{Application filed Dec. 15, 1897.;

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE.

ADALBERT KREITMAYR, OF MUNICH, GERMANY.

ART OF PROTECTING OIL-PAINTINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,011, dated October 25, 1898. Application filed December 15, 1897. Serial No. 662,037. (No model.) Patented in England October 25,1897, No. 24,702.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADALBERT KREITMAYR, a citizen of the German Empire, residing at Munich, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Preserving Oil- Paintings on Canvas or the Like, (patented in Great Britain October 25, 1897, No. 24,702 5) and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 1 Y

My invention relates to an improvement in the art of preserving oil-paintings on canvas or the like.

As has been well known, even to the old masters, paintings on canvas or other textile foundations are subject to many deteriorating influences having for their point of attack the said canvas or like foundation. Some of the old masters to avoid the disadvantages resulting from the destruction of such foundations employed wooden or copper plates as a foundation for their paintings. But the latter materials themselves have such inherent disadvantages that a return to the usual canvas, as it is usually termed,became necessary. For instance, wooden plates in time became seriously warped, or if held in a frame against warping would split or crack, and thereby render the painting unsightly. Copper plates were too expensive and too heavy, particularly for large paintings such as altar pictures and the like. Moreover, from present scientific knowledge it is clear that paintings upon metal plates would soon be seriously affected by the chemical and electrical action between the metal of the background and many of the colors employed.

The principal disadvantages of canvas foundations for oil-paintings (and by the term canvas I include all textile fabrics so employed) are that they are affected injuriously not only by the moisture of the atmosphere and by damp walls in close proximity, but also by insects, Worms, and the like, so that in some old paintings large patches of the canvas are destroyed, while in others the entire canvas becomes perforated, like a sieve. A skilful restorer of paintings is often able to improve greatly such injured paintings; but

in the efiorts to do so he has many difficulties to ings in transmarine transportation is injuredby the salty vapor of the air, which will penetrate the packages containing the pictures and attack the canvas. To avoid all these disadvantages and yet permit the use of canvas for oil-paintings is the object of my invention.

In carrying out my invention I proceed as follows: The back of the canvas foundation is first coated with a layer of elastic and very adhesive varnish. Upon this is placed a sheet of tin-foil, or several sheets, if necessary, to cover the area of the canvas, in the latter case care being taken to have the adjacent sheets well lapped along their meeting edges. This coating of tin foil is pressed firmly against the canvas until it is smooth and lies as closely as possible to the canvas. The val nish is then allowed to dry, whereupon the tin-foil will be found to be permanently secured to the canvas in a manner to serve as a coating for the back of the canvas, thus preventing any attacks u'pon said canvas either by atmospheric or similar influences or by. insects and the like. Since the front of the picture is painted with oil-colors, the can vas is completely protected by the application of my invention.

The tin-foil should not be too thick, and the varnish is preferably magilp, such as is used to cover the face of the picture.

In the drawing I have shown a sectional view of an oil-painting treated in accordance with my invention.

7 Referring to said drawing, a is a layer of canvas or other textile material, upon the front face of which has been executed the oilpainting, as indicated at b. To the back of the textile fabric is secured a layer of tin-foil 0 by any suitable material, such as magilp of a layer of varnish, (indicated at d.)

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

tin-foil secured to its back With varnish. i IO In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ADALBERT KREITMAYR.

In the art of protecting oil-paintings, the Witnesses: combination with a layer of textile material HANS BERTHTOTT, having its front face covered with painting, EMIL HENZEL. 

